The Royal Borough of Greenwich has bought 99 brand new homes for families on its housing register as it steps up its drive to provide the most council housing in a generation.
The new homes at Greenwich Millennium Village, set around two lakes and an ecology park, are part of the council’s drive to create 1,750 sustainable new council homes through a combination of building its own and buying private new builds.
Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Cllr Anthony Okereke, said:
“Everyone in our borough deserves a decent, affordable place to call home. Families are stuck on waiting lists, young people are being priced out of their own communities, and private rents are rising faster than wages - the housing crisis demands bold action.
Our flexible approach combines building and buying, which has allowed us to adapt to the challenges facing builders everywhere, from supply chain issues to rising labour costs. We’ve now been able to deliver 756 new Greenwich Builds council homes so far, and a further 505 are under construction – with more sites in the pipeline.”
The much-needed council housing was purchased using the Council’s own funds, in combination with a grant from the GLA.
Cllr Jackie Smith, Cabinet Member for Housing, Greenwich Builds and Estate Regeneration, said:
“We’re getting things done by creating new council housing that anyone would be proud to call home. We’ve already bought a hundred council homes at Greenwich Millennium Village and the latest 99 bring the total to 199 one to four-bedroom apartments, eleven of which are wheelchair accessible.
The surrounding neighbourhood is beautiful, arranged around a wetland with beach, marsh and meadow areas as well as being close to excellent transport links. We look forward to welcoming tenants as they begin to move in over the coming weeks.”
Other Greenwich Builds projects
The new council homes at Greenwich Millenium Village will soon be joined by an even larger 452-home, 100% social housing scheme at Kidbrooke Park Road. One of the largest new council-built developments in the country, the scheme’s first phase has already won multiple awards including being shortlisted for a RIBA prize.